The Ultimate Embarkation
June 27, 2025
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Cruise #26 and the FIRST LEG of this Back to Back... Let's GO!
Morning
It's CRUISE DAY... The BEST DAY EVER! We had an 11:30AM arrival time so we were slow to get around and ready for our embarkation aboard the Jewel of the Seas. TIP- Check in for the cruise happens 45 days prior to the cruise embarkation day at midnight LOCAL time (11PM our time). I was online checking in the literal SECOND it changed to 11PM but I still got an 11:30AM arrival time- our latest ever. This was disappointing but since this was a much smaller ship we assumed it was the earliest time. I also got that time for the SECOND cruise and I checked in at 5AM the next day.
Once we were ready we decided to Door Dash McDonald's for breakfast instead of pay the $40-50 for the breakfast at the hotel restaurant. This breakfast, with tip, was $22. However, it took nearly an hour for delivery despite quoting 25 minutes. Since we were not in a rush, this wasn't a concern. But when the food arrived while opening the bag, Chris spilt his coffee all over the table and my phone. Unfortunately, liquid got into the charging port and my phone would not receive a charge for several hours. We then realized we were missing two burritos from our bag. I tried calling the driver and the restaurant but had to go through Door Dash. I was finally able to get a $12 credit but it was so frustrating. It was a disastrous way to start our day but I was not going to let it spoil anything! Like I said... It's the BEST day EVER!
Our Uber arrived at 10:30AM to get us to the cruise terminal that was about 6 miles away. This Uber was a Toyota Tacoma truck and getting all of our luggage in the back of the truck and secure took a while but we finally were on the way to the ship at 10:45AM. There was a lot of construction on the way to the terminal and then once we arrived we had to be searched by security just to enter the pier area. This was very odd and our Uber driver did not speak any English but we all got cleared and we were at Pier 25 by 11:05AM.
This was EASILY the absolute easiest embarkation we have EVER had. From the moment we stepped out of the truck with our luggage to the time of stepping on the ship was LESS THAN 10 MINUTES! No kidding... It was flawless. It's hard to tell if this was the port, the arrival time or smaller ship but I am IN LOVE! TIP- We did notice on the 2nd cruise that people started arriving at 10:30AM so we did not have the earliest arrival time like I originally thought. We heard our FIRST DING at 11:14AM.
Check it out... Easily the FASTEST and EASIEST Embarkation EVER!
Hello Jewel of the Seas!
It's Friday and it's the BEST DAY EVER!
We immediately got on board and went to our Muster Station to get checked in and cleared for our cruise. TIP- Royal Caribbean still has the post-Covid Muster Drill that allows you to watch a video prior to embarking on the ship and then checking in with a crew member instead of the MASSIVE crowds at the pre-Covid meetings. THANK YOU ROYAL CARIBBEAN (and most other cruise lines too). This is so much easier and I hope we NEVER go back to the large group muster station drill.
CHEERS to Cruise #26!
Afternoon
On this first 3 day cruise, we decided we would splurge and pay for the Ultimate Dining Package. This allowed you to eat lunch and dinner in Specialty Restaurants. In fact, we NEVER ate in the Windjammer for this cruise and for that reason alone, this cruise was a MAJOR SUCCESS! We went to Chops to confirm all of our reservations for the week before chilling at Schooner Bar before lunch. We had a 12:30PM reservation at Chops and this would be our first time to eat LUNCH in Chops. This meal was incredible and I may now be addicted to lunch in Chops. We both got steaks and while it was so fulfilling, it was SO GOOD! TIP- During lunch Chops enforces the only ONE per category of ordering. So only 1 appetizer, entrée and dessert each. We have almost ALWAYS had 2 appetizers but at lunch they only allowed one of each and only 4 sides total.
The Chops Grill LUNCH menu
(It is a little smaller and some offerings are missing)
Mushroom Soup- 5.0+
It's a MUST and literally the best soup either of us have EVER had!
The 5oz Filet (cooked to perfection)- 4.5
This steak was perfect!
Key Lime Pie- 4.5
I don't even like pie but this was PERFECT!
After lunch the staterooms were ready so we made our way to Deck 3 forward to our inside cabin. This cabin was well appointed for an interior room but it was still rather small compared to the Anthem of the Seas we just got off of. In fact, it was VERY OUTDATED and needed an upgrade in the worst way. Again, I may have noticed this more since we just got off a newly built and up to date tech room in the Anthem of the Seas but it was visibly needing repairs and showing age. But it worked and we didn't complain. I was able to spot all of our luggage at the end of the hallway and was able to completely unpack all of our suitcases while Chris took a nap.
Overall, I have no complaints of this cabin! It got the job done!
We walked all the decks and open areas and decided that Vortex Lounge on Deck 13 would be where we would watch sail away. As the passengers boarded the ship we noticed not too many kids but a lot of adults and party atmosphere was present. In fact, it was a "Spirit Airlines" type of vibe from the get go. We could tell this was going to be a "Booze Cruise" crowd and we were right. Lots of rude, obnoxious and rowdy adults but we didn't let that bother us because the service of Royal Caribbean made up for this. TIP- We have heard that the 3 day weekend cruises out of Miami are ALWAYS Booze Cruises and this was true out of Ft. Lauderdale too. Again, this didn't bother us but be mindful of this.
We are ready to set sail to Coco Cay!
My traditional buoy picture... 26 strong!
Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale, we will see you in THREE days!
We are about 2 hours into sailing and you can still see Miami and Ft. Lauderdale!
Evening
We watched sail away in Vortex for nearly 2 hours before going to Schooner Bar for Pre-Dinner Trivia. We did NOT win the General Knowledge Trivia but we did win the Love Songs trivia. We won on the FIRST DAY again- We are on a roll! We went to chill at the Safari Lounge until our reservations at Giovanni's Table. We had eaten at Giovanni's a few times in the past but this was a HUGE surprise and completely blew us away. The food and service were phenomenal, albeit a little slower than we prefer, and we couldn't get enough. The Mushroom risotto was "to die for" and the Caprese Salad has been in my dreams the last week it was so good!
WINNERS- Love Song Trivia!
I loved the Safari Lounge and the views of the wake- my favorite!
Giovanni's Table Menu
Crispy Calamari- 4.0
This was cooked to perfection and nice BIG pieces.
Caprese Salad- 4.5
Wow... the beefsteaks tomatoes made this so delicious!
Seafood Linguini- 4.5
This was the most decadent white sauce I have ever had!
I was so full at this point!
Pork Cutlet- 3.5
Chris said this was a little bit of a miss !
After dinner we walked around the outside of Deck 5 on the Promenade to help walk off our dinner as we were SO full. Then we went back to the room to take medication and of course, took a brief 30 minute nap before going to the Coral Theater for the TANGO Dance show. This was not a typical Royal Caribbean Production show and we were not impressed at all. In fact, the entertainment was probably the biggest disappointment of our time on the Jewel of the Seas.
I seriously HATE this in the Royal Caribbean theaters- the cup holders.
These don't hold all glasses and the seats seem really small (even for smaller passengers I have questioned). It is tight and uncomfortable in my opinion! Carnival does this SO MUCH better with the couch seating and small tables for drinks!
This show was so boring... Once you have seen them do one tango dance move, you've seen the whole show. It just wasn't for us!
We left the Tango show early to go to the Pit Stop Sports Bar and watch Cricket until the bar closed at midnight.
Our new summer cruise tradition- watching Cricket in the Sports Bar!
It's weird but kinda cool!
It was a great embarkation day and it really was the ULTIMATE way to spend a day aboard a cruise ship!
Embarkation Day #1 was a success!
Up Next... The ONLY Sea Day of our First Cruise. Stay Tuned!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
